Majorca calls time on booze tourism

Majorca wants to shed its booze-soaked reputation and reinvent itself as the St Tropez of Spain, attracting well-heeled holidaymakers from China and Dubai rather than binge drinkers from Britain and Germany.

In future, the tourist experience on the Playa De Palma, a four mile stretch of beaches east of the city, will revolve around "high-end gastronomy and sport" rather than alcohol, the deputy mayor said in an interviewPhoto: ALAMY

The era of public drinking on Spain's Balearic beaches is over, the deputy mayor of Palma de Majorca, capital of the Balearic Islands, said in an interview.

Alvaro Gijón said the resort wanted to attract tourists who "spend a lot of money".

The islands' government plans to transform the image of the seafront strip, the Playa De Palma, imposing a 24-hour public drinking ban and upgrading hotels to four or five stars.

Mr Gijón told the German tabloid Bild: "Booze tourism is out of date. When people get drunk they should do so in discos, not on the beach in public." In future, the tourist experience on the Playa De Palma, a four mile stretch of beaches east of the city, will revolve around "high-end gastronomy and sport" rather than alcohol, the deputy mayor added.

Tourism dominates the economy of the Balearic Islands; nearly two million British holidaymakers and 3.4 million German tourists visited Majorca last year, according to figures published by the islands' regional government.

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Last summer, local authorities launched a concerted drive to raise the tone of tourism to Majorca. Police issued fines for littering and excessive drinking on the beach in an attempt to crack down on unruly behaviour.

German tourists in particular are notorious for the practice of drinking spirits or sangria out of a communal plastic bucket.

Mr Gijón said: "We want people who spend a lot of money, such as more tourists from China and Dubai. St Tropez, Miami and Las Vegas are the places we're orienting ourselves towards."

The consortium in charge of developing the resort plans to close up to 60 per cent of the Playa De Palma's existing hotel beds and replace them with more upmarket accommodation.

Singling out Ballermann, the zone of German bars that have become closely identified with the hedonistic reputation of the Playa De Palma, the deputy mayor said: "I wouldn't go to Ballermann with my six-year-old daughter. I wouldn't feel safe. For one thing, just because of the shards of glass."